Merry Christmas

Christmas is over, & I'm sad to say, but I'm kinda glad! It was fun watching the kids open their gifts & it was great spending time with family, but I'm worn out!

Christmas Eve day started off not so great, but by the end of the day, it was a great day. I woke up Christmas Eve day to Chad asking if I smelled something burning, after being up for a few minutes, I could. We checked out the house and couldn't see a visible fire, but it smelled, I was ready to call the fire department! For some reason the smell was worse upstairs and in Madison's room. Chad was feeling walls to make sure there wasn't a fire in a wall somewhere, & for some reason I put my nose to the vent and it was coming from the basement. After some checking we found out that the furnace had stopped working sometime in the night and that's where the smell is coming from. Chad called one of my daycare families dad's who does some work on furnaces, he told Chad to reset it, so we could have heat, then we called someone to come in and look at it. We ended up having to get a new fan motor....Merry Christmas to us!

I worked Christmas Eve day till about 2, then we finished getting ready and headed to Nana and Papa's (my parent's) house. It took a little longer to get there since it had been snowing. We had a great time with my family. The kids got lots of gifts, that they love! Madison got the walking dog that she wanted and Tanner got Stinky the Garbage truck! We got home around 11 and put the kids to bed.

We had a great time Christmas Day, starting with us kinda waking the kids up...that was a mistake later in the day! The kids had to make sure Santa ate his cookies and drank the chocolate milk that they left for him, then it was time for gifts! Santa must of thought they were good kids this year, because they got lots of stuff! Madison got a camera, and Tanner's big gift was his leapster. They both had fun opening their gifts and enjoyed playing with all their new toys! I said to Chad that I was glad that I remembered to buy more trash bags, and Maddy said to me, "Mommy, I'm sorry Santa brought us all this stuff."

Later in the afternoon the Klein side of the family came to our house and we had lots of yummy food! Chad did a great job on the ham! After we ate, then we let the kids open their presents. That's about the time that Tanner needed a nap! He got a pillow pet from my sister, Alexa, so he layed on the floor and tried to open his presents. He loves his naps and we can tell when he doesn't get one! After all the gifts were open, it was time to open all the packages and let the playing begin! The kids had a great time and the adults all played Apples to Apples. When everyone left, we were all so worn out I left the rest of the mess till Sunday.

We had a great time spending time with all our family!

Santa

We decided to take the kids to see Santa, they were so excited to see him, they have been talking about it a lot lately, so the big night came and.............

Madison got right on his lap......

but Tanner had a different reaction......

then daddy came, and Tanner was ok standing by daddy and talking to Santa. Maybe next year will be better!

Let the Christmas parties begin...

This past weekend our Christmas festivities started! Saturday, we had the Klein Christmas, with all the family. It was held at the Klein nursing house, where Grandma Klein lives. There was lots of food, goodies, and family!

The big man himself even came to bring all the kids a gift! Tanner kept an eye on Santa (we took the kids to see Santa on Friday night and he cried), but when he realized that Santa had a gift for him, he went right up to him and sat on his lap when it was his turn. He got a police semi hauler and a police car. Madison wasn't afraid of Santa at all and while sitting on his lap, she told him she wanted a camera and a few other things. She got a polly pocket set. We all had a great time at the party.

The Klein's (minus Chad's dad, Bob, who had a bus trip planned) ~ Matt, Andrew, Leah, Krystal, Chad, Tanner, Madison, Ethan, Rose, Katelyn

After the party, we took the kids to my parents house for the night and we went out with all the cousins. We had a great time, but I was so tired the next day!!

On Sunday, we went to my Grandparent's house for Christmas. We had dinner and then we opened gifts. Tanner was dying to open his presents, but he would open one, then play with it. We had to remind him to open all of his gifts. Madison was so happy, she has been wanting a pillow pet, and she is the proud new owner of a ladybug pillow pet! We had a great time and are very thankful for all our families! Well I should finish cleaning up the house and getting everything ready for the next few days.

We hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas!!!

Madison as Carter the Cat

On Tuesday December 14th, Madison was in her "play." She was so excited and we filled up many seats in the audience. She did a great job and we were so proud of her! She sang loudly and knew all of the hand gestures and said her line loud so everyone could hear her. It was fun watching her and her classmates in their performance!

Baby Update

I just got home from my appointment and thought I would update everyone on my doctor appointment today before I have to get Maddy from preschool.

The baby's heartbeat was 146, which is lower than Maddy or Tanner's ever was. They also drew blood to finish the down syndrome test, we should have the results next week. The doctor seemed a little concerned about my weight, I have lost 10 pounds in the last 2 months, which is what I also did when I was pregnant with Tanner, and he was almost an 8 lb baby. He said they would continue to watch my weight, and make sure the baby was growing like it should. But, I measured where I should, so he said the baby is growing, which is good. I do eat, so I'm not sure why I am losing instead of gaining.

At my appointment next month I will be seeing the doctor that did my c-section with Madison, so I should hopefully be able to schedule the c-section, and let all my daycare families know when I will be taking off. He did talk about an ultrasound, and thought maybe they would schedule that for my appointment in 2 months (Feb), I hope so, we want to know what we are having so we can start getting everything ready! Well I need to get 2 kids bundled up so we can get the girls from school, and get back home to get Maddy ready for her program tonight, so until next time....stay warm!!!

Crazy time of year

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go! But unfortunately, I'm not done shopping or wrapping, and we are going to be busy up until Christmas!!

Last week I was able to make chocolate chip cookies with the daycare kids. They had fun helping me and I got ahead on making cookies! On Saturday, Ali and Zach, came over and we were able to bake and frost sugar cookies. I think I counted 127 sugar cookies, we might of had more...but Tanner kept helping himself! I think he had sugar cookies for dinner while the rest of us had soup! Oh well!!

Tomorrow Madison has her Christmas program at preschool, she is Carter the Cat. She is so excited for all of us to come and watch her. She is also looking forward to dinner at Carlos O' Kelly's afterwards, that's her favorite place to go! She has been doing really well at school and is excited every Friday when they get homework. She has to practice writing her 1st name, but since she has that and her last name mastered, she also has to practice her middle name! She seems to catch on quickly to the letter of the week and we have been working with her on some words and other family members names. She loves to write and constantly can be found with a notebook and pen writing or coloring.

Tanner continues to be his ornery self! He has a birthday coming up in 2 weeks. I can't believe he is almost 3. Time sure does fly. He has been keeping us entertained lately, he sometimes will say some random stuff and you can't help but laugh! He has been asking for Stinky the Garbage truck for Christmas. He really wants it because it farts! He isn't being to picky on his list, other than wanting Stinky.

My pregnancy seems to be going well. I am still feeling nauseous a lot and did have a little stomach bug last Friday night, but other than that, I really have no complaints. I have an appointment tomorrow, where they are drawing more blood for a test, and then just checking my weight and blood pressure, I should also be able to hear the heartbeat again. I am hoping maybe they will let me know when they might also do another ultrasound! We would like to find out the sex of the baby, so after the holidays we can start preparing for our new addition.

This weekend we are celebrating Christmas with the Klein's. It will be nice to see Chad's family that we don't get to see all the time. Then on Sunday we will be having Christmas with my Grandparents. I am hoping to maybe finish my shopping Saturday morning...if not I guess I will be wrapping at the last minute!! It should be a busy, fun rest of the week!

Sorry if this post doesn't make a lot of sense...I only got 4 hours of sleep last night, Chad brought Chloe inside and she barked all night long, so I'm exhausted!!

Pics of the kids

The kids went and had some pics done at Sears. I took Madison one night, Tanner the next and just bought the cheap package, then the following night we took both kids together. I couldn't pick just one pose, so I bought a few of them! Hope you enjoy, the kids did really well, and I think they turned out great!!

Christmas Cards?

What a week

Well thought I would get you caught up on what we have been up to lately.

I went to the doctor last week for my normal check-up, & Madison was able to go with me, she was excited! I have lost 5 lbs in the last month, but that is what I did when I was pregnant with Tanner, so they weren't too concerned. I have been feeling nauseous a lot lately, and it usually lasts a few days at a time, I'm hoping that I get over it soon. I would also like to have motivation again, by the time the kids leave at night...I'm tired and don't feel like doing much! Also at my appt. we got to hear the heart beat for the first time, it was 150, makes it seem more real when you hear the heartbeat! I go again the 14th of December, so I will update again after that appointment.

On Tuesday, Maddy had to make a quick trip to the doctor. She has had a cold for awhile and it seems like when she gets a cold, she gets an ear infection. She does indeed have a double ear infection. She doesn't like the meds they put her on, but she takes them so she can get feeling better!

We have also been busy getting ready for Thanksgiving/Christmas. Thanksgiving was yesterday, and we had a great day with our families! We spent the early afternoon with Chad's side of the family and our brother-in-laws family. It was a good time with lots of yummy food...I probably gained back the 5lbs I lost last month with all the food we ate yesterday! After we ate and visited for a bit, we headed to my parent's house. We didn't eat much, but I did snack on some ham and the kids and Chad enjoyed some pumpkin pie. We had fun playing Wii, and then there was a card game going for awhile. My Grandparent's and my Aunt also came out, it was a nice time spent with the important people in our lives!

Today is Black Friday! And you know I was one of the crazy people out shopping! I picked up Rose (Chad's mom) at 3:15 am, and we headed to Kohl's. I got a few things, and then had to wait in line for an hour and a half!!! Wow not sure the deals I got were worth it, but oh well! We then headed to Wal-Mart. I was hoping to get my hands on a laptop for Chad and I, our desktop has been acting up and since we moved the computer upstairs we don't use it much. We got there at 5 am when their electronics sale started, but there were no computers left! I was bummed, but I asked a younger kid working and he walked towards a manager and asked him, & I followed & the manager happened to have one in his hands, it was the last one and another customer didn't want it. I said I'll take it!! Wasn't sure if it was what I wanted or even how much it was, but I took it so Rose and I could look at it. I ended up buying it and we love it!! We finished at Wal-Mart, then continued our rounds around town. It was a successful day, but I still have more shopping to do. Our kids are mostly done, just need to find Mads some clothes and stocking stuffers. I am hoping maybe I can do some shopping here and there, but it feels good to have some stuff bought! We were done around 11:30 ish, and I was so tired when I got home. I think I might have had 2 hrs of sleep, so I was glad to take a nap this afternoon, but my hands are swollen some and I hurt all over! Thanks to Rose for going with me today, and a big thanks to Alexa for watching the kids till Chad got home!

Tomorrow is also going to be a busy day! I am hoping to go help decorate the dance studios float for the parade if we can get moving in the morning! Then we also need to go to the grocery store and I am hoping to relax for a few hours and maybe do some cleaning! The parade is at 5 tomorrow, then we might go bowling!

Sunday~ Chad's bday....he will be the big 3-0!! I'm not sure if he is hunting in the morning, but I want to be able to relax, then we are going out for a family dinner! The rest of the weekend is going to be a busy one, but it will be fun! I have a feeling December is going to be a BUSY month and it's going to go quick!!

Well until next time....

Pumpkin Carving

Maddy wanted to carve the small pumpkin that we bought at Fareway, we had the big pumpkin that we got at the pumpkin patch, but I didn't want to deal with that mess! So one night after Chad got home from work, we went to work on our pumpkin. Madison dug right in....Tanner on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it!! So in the end Maddy and I cleaned out the inside and Chad carved a face onto the pumpkin, we didn't do anything fancy this year, and I just realized I never took a picture of the finished product. Oh well maybe next year!!

Mads wasn't scared!!

Chad helping T put his hand in the pumpkin.....

T wasn't so impressed! Showing me his messy hands!!

Kathy's Pumpkin Patch

We went to Kathy's Pumpkin Patch on Saturday October 16th. Chad was working, so Tiffany, Brenda, and Cammie went with us. We got there about 2:30 ish and we didn't get home till 7ish. It was a long fun day!

When we got there, the kids got to make baby scarecrows. I had to help Tanner stuff his, he didn't like how the straw felt, but Maddy did hers herself. They turned out cute and we put them on our patio furniture on the front porch for everyone to see.

Tanner loved his baby scarecrow!!

Maddy's scarecrow!

After making scarecrows, the kids and Tiffany, played in the corn. Tiffany dumped it on each of the kids, the girls loved it, but Tanner kept trying to block himself! Maddy tried to get her back, but the bucket of corn was too heavy for her to pick up! The kids also enjoyed going down the big slide and playing on the big rolls of hay.

Heading into the corn!

Tanner loved playing with the trucks!

Tiffany with Cameron.

We went on a tractor ride to the pick your own pumpkin patch, but we only found 1 pumpkin that we bought. All the pumpkins seemed to have bad spots or they were rotted. But since Chad wasn't there I had to carry the pumpkin, so I'm kinda glad we only got the one!! We had lots of rain, so they didn't have as many pumpkins as the last time we were there.

We then meet up with one of my daycare families who where there for a girl scout trip, and the kids got to roast hot dogs and make smores. Thanks Lisa...we were all starving!! After eating we picked out a few small pumpkins and gourds to display around the house, then I tried to take a few pics of the kids. We had a great time and hopefully next year Chad will be able to go with us!!

Tanner and his friend, Blake.

It's My Party!!

Madison celebrated her 5th birthday on October 5th!

On her birthday we let her open gifts at home and then took her to her favorite restaurant, Carlos O'Kelly's, for dinner. Daddy sent her flowers on her special day, she also got to take a birthday snack to school and was the leader for the day! She had a great birthday..hard to believe she is 5!!

We had a family/friend BBQ/birthday party that weekend. The weather was beautiful....kinda on the warm side, but a great day for an outdoor party! She had a great turn-out of our family and friends.

Last update....

Well this will be the last update for the day & then you will know everything that has been going on with the Klein family, plus I have only a few minutes left before I have to be at the dance studio for a parade meeting!

The Klein family is growing!!

Tanner is going to be a BIG brother!! The kids are sooooo excited!!! So are Chad and I!!!!

I have had a few doctor appointments already and at my last one we had an ultrasound. Chad and I were able to see the baby, the heartbeat was 154. I still need to look and see what Maddy and Tanner's heartbeats were. I am almost 13 wks now, my due date if May 11th, and for the most part feeling good. I am usually tired by the end of the day, and most nights in bed by 10, but hoping to be over that soon enough!!

I have another appt scheduled in 2 weeks. At my last appt, I saw Dr. Marshall who delivered Madison and I used to watch her stepkids. We asked her when they might deliver the baby since it will be a scheduled C-section, & it should be around May 6th. They should also do another ultrasound around 20 wks, which is a good thing, since we really need to learn the sex of the baby, since we have no baby clothes!

Well I better go, but I will try to update after my next appointment!

Happy Halloween

Ok so Halloween was almost a week ago, but better late than never!! For Halloween, Maddy was a black and purple butterfly and Tanner was Handy Manny. We made the rounds with Alexa, Zach, Katelyn, & Ethan. We meet Aunt Leah, Uncle Matt, and Grandma Rose at the mall, then went & made quick visits to different family members and then hit the streets for a few blocks. It was cold and the kids got too much candy, but they had fun!! We finished the night with pizza at Mazzio's. I don't think that being outside helped T's cold that he had, he has had a really runny nose all week! The kids have only had a few peices of their candy, they don't ask for any, and I don't offer it to them either. It will probably find it's way to the guys that Chad works with soon enough!! Enjoy the pics of the kids!!

Madison is 5!!!

Well.....she is almost 5! I thought I would do this update now knowing I might not have time tomorrow! Tomorrow is a very special day at our house...Madison will be 5 and it's her star birthday! She has been counting down the days & telling everyone when her birthday is! She is excited to go to preschool tomorrow, she gets her pictures taken, and it's her snack day, so she gets to be the leader! That's a big deal!! We will be taking her out to Carlos O' Kelly's for her birthday dinner...her choice! We will be having a cookout this weekend to celebrate her big day!

(I will try to post again after her party & upload a new pic of her!)

Madison's nicknames: sissy, Mads, Mad, Maddy

Her favorite color is purple. She loves to dance, sing, write the letters they have learned at school, she also loves to color, be outside, play with her friends, and vacuum (hope she doesn't outgrow that anytime soon:-). She is very loving, caring, and sometimes has an attitude! We are proud of her and love her soooo much!!

Happy Star (5th) Birthday Madison Renee!!!!

School Days

Well it's that time of year again for Madison.....school is back in session!! Today Maddy started the 4 year old preschool program at Messiah. She goes 4 days a week in the afternoon. Her best friend, Mallory (my daycare kiddo) will be attending with her. They have 11 other kids in their class this year, due to the school district offering free preschool, but we believe in the program at Messiah, so we decided to keep Madison there. With having smaller groups, she will get more 1 on 1, & we liked that fact and I know the teachers since Mallory's siblings went there.

Madison was so excited this morning she came upstairs at 6:30 am and asked if she could get dressed! I convinced her to crawl into our bed for a little bit longer. She was also excited because she got to take snack today & in preschool snack is a big deal!! She helped me make some cookies...so we might have cheated and used cookie dough...but they were a hit today!

Madison before we left home.

Chad also took the day off, so he was able to be there for her first day! We got to school early so the kids got to play on the playground for a little bit. Tanner doesn't understand why he can't stay at school with sissy, I keep telling him next year he will get to go there (but I don't like to think about that, it means he is a big boy!). Madison had a great day and said she can't wait to go back tomorrow!!!

Tanner loves to play at the park!

Inside one of the classrooms.

Mommy, Maddy, & Daddy before class started (Tanner was too busy playing to join us for a picture)